A Sign of Hope
by Sparrowclaw of ThunderClan
Summary: Nightfrost and his clan just need a sign of hope... For Purple Penguin's Mist's Rainbow challenge!


**This is for Purple Penguin's Mist's _Rainbow _challenge! I hope you like it!**

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The frosted forest rang with the trickling of melting snow and ice, waking streams, and small animals peaking out to catch the tiny rays of sunlight that had started peaking over the lake.

The soggy fronds of a dripping fern parted as a pale reddish brown she-cat appeared. Her white-tipped tail waved in delight as she bounded through the slushy undergrowth. A puddle had formed where the earth dipped lower, and the mottled apprentice batted at the silver pool, letting a the cold liquid bathe her.

"Cloverpaw!" a voice called, breaking the peaceful rhythm of twittering birds. "Cloverpaw, come here this instant!"

Cloverpaw scowled and rose from the rippling pond as a larger

darker colored cat appeared, a snarl forming on his gray-tinged muzzle. "Cloverpaw, quit messing around! We have elders to feed!" he growled. The small she-cat sighed loudly and shook her body to relieve pelt of water, sending transparent droplets through the air.

"Coming, Nightfrost." she grumbled, trudging after him. Nightfrost swung his head around, raising his head to the breeze in the hopes of catching a scent of prey. Only blood tainted the air, but the old black was for once not alarmed at the smell. The mentor and apprentice were very close to a devastated part of the forest that had been the death of many a clan cat, the battlefield for an unjust and gruesome battle.

The large clearing used to be thriving with prey, but the rogues came quickly, tearing up brushes and brambles and ripping the glade of its shelter. The ground was stained with an ocean of blood, and the floor of the meadow was now not scattered with ice and slush and snowflowers, but with torn fur, fallen teeth and claws, and even a few removed limbs.

Half of the clan population was destroyed, with six more warriors left, none fit to take the place of the fallen deputy, a leader who didn't even have the time to go to the Moonpool for his nine lives, three elders who were to filled with sorrow to speak, three apprentices who hadn't learned a new battle skill for a moon, a medicine cat who had just left the nursery, a queen with kits do any day, and an orphaned kit who barely had the strength to lift his head to eat. You could barely call it a clan.

"Do you smell anything, Nightfrost?" Cloverpaw asked, breaking Nightfrost from his thoughts. Nightfrost's eyes traveled across his apprentice's body. Her pelt was matted and scruffy, her paws were shaking from exhaustion she tried so hard to hide, and her ribs stuck out like the gnarled claws of a battle-worn elder. All she needed was some hope, but Nightfrost had none to give her.

"Cloverpaw..." he began, staring into her eyes, the same color as the sky in green-leaf. The skinny, hungry, tired, ragged apprentice perked her pointed ears up expectantly. "I-I... Let's go this way." Nightfrost mewed, trying to cover his despair as he led Cloverpaw down another forest path.

No prey was found, not even a whiff. _At least the snow's melting now. New-leaf is coming. _He thought, though he didn't believe it. He looked at the sky, willing StarClan to tell his something. _I just need a sign, a flicker of hope! _His mind screamed, but nothing erupted above the chirping of birds and the dripping of rain as it now started to fall.

Cloverpaw wrinkled her nose. "Ick! Rain? Just what we need on our hunting patrol!" she said angrily, flicking her tail. Nightfrost knew it would be too cold to go on hunting, so he exhaled deeply and halfheartedly turned to the direction of their camp. The ground was quickly turning slick with mud and slush.

"C'mon, let's just get to the nearest shelter!" he told his apprentice, squinting through the fast thickening downpour. She let out a brief mew of acknowledgment and followed his hurriedly through the soaked woods.

An old fox set came into view; a crevice between a large fallen tree and a boulder. Nightfrost ducked underneath the rotting wood, and felt Cloverpaw's soaked, freezing pelt press against his in the darkness, searching for warmth through violent shivers. A wave of protectiveness washed over Nightfrost as the tiny she-cat burrowed deep inside his thick fur to escape the stinging, icy claws of the cold.

"Hush, it's alright." he whispered, silencing his apprentice's whimpers of discomfort.

The steady, calming beat of the rain was decreasing, and Nightfrost moistened his lips and shifted in the cramped den. He peaked out of the darkness at the world outside; the rain had stopped.

"It's time to go, now, Cloverpaw!" he called, hearing paws scrape across the earthen floor of the den as Cloverpaw moved closer to him to peer out along with him. "Let's go." he said curtly as he rose out of their haven. Cloverpaw reluctantly followed him. The sense of despair that had settled on Nightfrost returned with a sharp pang, as he realized again that there was no prey around.

Cloverpaw swallowed and examined the area, sniffing the places she knew there was a possibility prey was hidden. When she found no scent or sign, she drew back to her mentor's side and waited for him to say something.

"We should just go back to camp." he murmured. Cloverpaw's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp.

"Bu-but, we don't have any prey!" she exclaimed in astonishment. Nightfrost growled at her irritably.

"We're not gonna find anything else today, Cloverpaw! We'll try again tomorrow!" he said coolly, turning quickly. No reply came. "Cloverpaw?" he asked. Still nothing. "Cloverpaw!" he yowled, whipping around. Cloverpaw had her back facing him, standing stock still, her neck craned to stare up at something in sky.

"Look-look at that, Nightfrost!" she mewed. Nightfrost narrowed his eyes, and searched the sky for what Cloverpaw was seeing. The sky was split in have by a magnificent arch of color; a bow that started with a red as deep as a rose at the top, and then an orange like the flame of a fire, yellow like buttercups, green like catmint, blue like the lake at midnight, and purple like the crown of a sunset. It was so bright and beautiful, and it was the most color Nightfrost had seen in seasons.

"Wha-what's that?" Cloverpaw asked in awe. Nightfrost couldn't take his eyes away.

"It's called a rainbow, Cloverpaw. It-it's when the water from the rain is shot through with sunlight." he explained quietly, though he wasn't really sure where the information had come from.

_It's the sign, the sign of hope! _He thought. _StarClan has sent me a sign! My clan will be okay!_


End file.
